Have you ever lost a password?

Almost every device or service nowadays requires a unique combination of letters, numbers, or even biometrics like fingerprints and facial recognition to grant access.

Or perhaps a court might require access.

In November of last year, New York City Mayor Eric Adams informed FBI agents that he had mistakenly changed the passcode on his phone and then forgot it, complicating their investigation into the device’s contents.

However, a federal indictment made public in Manhattan on Thursday suggests that his forgetfulness was more calculated than he described.

The indictment states that Adams accepted unlawful donations from Turkey, misled the city’s campaign finance program, and pressured the fire department into allowing a new Turkish consulate building to open without passing a safety inspection.

Maintaining his innocence, Adams is the first current New York mayor in recent history to face criminal charges.

Phone calls, phone stalls

The 57-page indictment contains various incidents related to mobile phones, including messages where a staff member expresses interest in receiving $100,000 in unlawful Turkish contributions during the 2021 mayoral election. (Adams narrowly won the Democratic primary that year by just 7,000 votes.)

On November 2, during a trip to Washington for a meeting at the White House, Adams became aware that the FBI had visited his chief fundraiser, Brianna Suggs. Prosecutors noted that Suggs attempted to contact Adams five times before responding to the FBI at her door.

Adams abruptly canceled the White House meeting and hurried back to New York.

While being questioned by the FBI, an Adams staff member left for a bathroom break and allegedly deleted encrypted messaging apps she had used to communicate with Adams and a Turkish businessman, according to the indictment.

Just four days later, the FBI arrived with a search warrant for Adams’ phones—only to find he only had his workplace devices with him. His personal phone, used for discussing campaign contributions and supposedly special favors for the Turkish government, was left at home.

An absent-minded (now indicted) mayor

When Adams provided his personal phone to the authorities on November 5, it posed a problem.

“When Adams presented his personal cellphone the following day in response to a subpoena, it was ‘locked,’ requiring a password to access,” the indictment asserts. “Adams claimed that after becoming aware of the investigation into his actions, he altered the password” on that day “and enhanced it from four digits to six.”

According to Adams, the change was made to prevent accidental deletion of information by his staff.

He further claimed that he forgot the new six-digit password he had just established and could not provide the FBI with access to the phone.

It’s unclear if investigators have been able to access Adams’ phone without the newly created six-digit password. The indictment cites multiple text exchanges among members of his circle.

This phone situation was just one of the many tactics used by Adams and others to “hide their improper actions from public and legal scrutiny,” according to the indictment.

Recently, federal agents confiscated phones belonging to Adams’ police commissioner (who has since resigned), two deputy mayors, the schools chancellor, and a close aide.

Early Thursday morning, federal agents conducted a raid at Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s official home, to seize another phone belonging to Adams.

When YSL News attempted to reach out to that number on Thursday afternoon, there was no response.